Unless you have been dwelling under a very dense rock for the last couple of years, you are almost certainly aware of who Caitlin Clark is. In case you are not, she is a basketball player who played for Iowa in college, and is currently a rookie in the WNBA on the Indiana Fever. She is a phenomenally talented player and has made a staggeringly positive impact on the women’s game and leagues that have, up until recently, been largely ignored, if not openly mocked.

There is no disputing what Clark has done for women’s basketball. She broke so many college records, both men’s and women’s, that it almost feels fake, so I’ll just list a few here:

• Achieved most 30-point games by any man or woman in Division I in the past 25 seasons
• Became Iowa’s all-time leading scorer
• Became all-time NCAA Division I men’s and women’s scoring leader
• Achieved most three-pointers in a single season by any male or female Division I player
• Set NCAA single-season record for 3-pointers

So yeah, props to Caitlin; her college career was really fun to watch and I enjoyed the journey immensely. Where people start to lose me is when they give Clark sole credit for the recent influx of popularity of women’s basketball, because it simply is not the case. For years, the WNBA has been filled with talented, dedicated women who are rockstar athletes that are the best at their craft. The WNBA is really small, and is therefore one of the hardest professional leagues to make it into. Every single WNBA player is a world-class athlete, and that is not hyperbole.

Additionally, Caitlin’s college class of opponents and teammates was absolutely lousy with amazing players. This rookie draft class was stacked beyond belief, and a lot of them are having outstanding rookie seasons on their new teams. Clark is not one of those rookies. Clark is an offensive juggernaut, no one would dare deny that. When it comes to defense and protecting the ball, however? Let’s just say there is room for improvement.

Before the WNBA season began, veteran player Diana Taurasi commented that (paraphrasing here), while she could appreciate how talented Clark is, up to this point, she had been playing teenagers and college students. Going into a league filled with women in their prime who have been playing at this level for years was likely going to be a rude awakening. People crucified her… but she was absolutely right. The really baffling thing about people’s reaction to Taurasi’s comments is that this is exactly what *rational* people would expect to happen to most rookies! The transition from college to professional is a bumpy one, even the all-time-greats had to find their own rhythm before fully realizing their potential, and I feel like that is the bare minimum expectation we should have for everyone in that scenario. Why Clark fans had convinced themselves she would be exempt from that is beyond me.

In all honesty, it was Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson, Kamilla Cardoso, Raven Johnson, and, most importantly, Dawn Staley, that really reeled me in. From the moment someone manufactured beef between Clark and Reese, Reese was painted as the villain. The Bayou Barbie (she played for LSU) was so easy to target and pin as the angry Black woman bullying Clark. When LSU beat Iowa for the NCAA championship in 2023, the things said about Angel Reese and her teammates, made up predominantly of Black women, were enough to turn your stomach. When Reese taunted Clark in the exact same way Clark had done to someone earlier in the tournament, the country lost its collective mind. I have heard people with my own ears say that what Clark did was different and what Reese did was hostile taunting. Clark herself has defended Reese over and over and said everything was in the name of healthy competition. They respect the hell out of each other and always hype each other up. Reese is a girl’s girl, she loves to praise her teammates and opponents alike; but that doesn’t fit the angry Black woman narrative, so media outlets will purposefully manipulate footage of her to make it seem like she’s really leaning in to her villain area.

Case in point- at the beginning of the month, Reese made some comments during a post-game interview. Most outlets reported it like this:

They ended the video right after she says, “The reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person, it’s because of me, too.” Except that’s not where her comments actually ended. Now watch this clip:

In this clip, which gives her full comments on the matter, an entirely different picture is painted. She gives credit to the league as a whole, stating, “A lot of us have done so much for this game,” and there are so many great players in this league that have deserved this for a really, really long time, and luckily it’s coming now.” People took the first one and absolutely ran with it, calling her arrogant and insufferable and far worse things than that, as I am sure you can imagine. None of those outraged at her comments went to see if that was the full extent of what she said, because disproving their narrative is not something they are willing to do.

It has been so incredibly easy for racists to rally behind Clark and villainize Reese, who was right, by the way. The WNBA has been built by Black women, like so many other things in this country. I know some of you will want to argue that, before Clark, no one was watching the WNBA and that it wasn’t profitable. First of all, that’s patently false. Yes, Clark has brought an influx of attention and fans to the league, benefitting everyone; but there have been loyal fans since its inception. And as far as profitability goes, the NBA wasn’t profitable until almost 30 years after its inception either, and the WNBA’s projections are actually better than the NBA’s were at the same point in their lifecycle.

The fact of the matter is, a lot of Americans just really like an excuse to be racist. They feel as though Clark’s clear heroism in contrast to Reese’s perceived villainy make their fight a righteous one; but Reese is not the only one on the receiving end of this behavior. Clark’s rabid fans claim that opposing teams are targeting her, that she is being treated unfairly, that she should be traded to a better team so that her fans won’t get sick of seeing her lose. It is honestly baffling to witness, and it is so clear that those people are not here because of a genuine love of the game of basketball, but simply because they followed their great, white, midwestern darling to a league of which they know nothing about. A league filled with some of the greatest athletes alive.

When Clark did not get chosen to be on the 2024 Olympic team, you would have thought the WNBA commissioners broke into her fans’ homes and kicked their puppies then set their houses on fire. They took it as a personal affront, and claimed that the decision was harming women’s basketball by not sending her. A rookie who isn’t even in top 5 of her rookie class stats. Throwing an underprepared 22-year-old onto the world stage is not how you grow the sport, it’s how you grow a fanbase. Those are two entirely different things when it comes to Clark, which is so unfortunate.

When asked about her rabid fanbase being racist assholes on her behalf, initially Clark said that she couldn’t control other people’s behavior so she didn’t think about it. Her job is to play basketball and have fun doing it so she just doesn’t pay attention to all the noisy bullshit. You know who else’s job it is to play basketball and have fun? Angel Reese. Chennedy Carter. Kamilla Cardoso. And all of the other Black and Brown women in the league that are not permitted to simply play basketball without having abhorrent and racist statements flung at them. Clark did finally come out and denounce the behavior of her fans, stating that, “It’s disappointing. Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect … People should not be using my name to push those agendas.”

Good. It’s better than nothing. But in a world of tepid responses like that one, I encourage all of those who look like me to channel more of Paige Bueckers and Hailey Van Lith’s energy. It is literally the least we can do.

Sidenote- Every good person deserves a friend like Flau’jae Johnson. The beautiful things she said about Reese and then wiping away her tears was the most wholesome thing I have ever seen. You can’t break the bonds of teammates like that.

Listen, sports have a way of heightening emotions as well as blood pressure. But behind every single one of these elite athletes is a human being trying to navigate life. And Reese and Clark specifically are babies. They are 22-years-old! Do you remember what life was like at 22? You were an idiot, just like I was, because everyone is an idiot at 22. Most of us, however, are not 22-year-old idiots in the public eye and at the mercy of the media’s headlines. In my opinion, these women/girls are doing a great goddamn job of navigating this batshit crazy nonsense.

So, how about instead of being racist, misogynistic assholes, we all just sit back and appreciate the newfound popularity of this wonderful sport and enjoy watching our favorite players turn into superstars, yeah? There is enough room for every one of these phenomenal women to shine, we don’t need to tear any of them down in order to build others up. That harms everyone and helps absolutely no one in the long run. So just, like, be cool for once my god.